All That Matters
by ShelbyElizabeth
Summary: Tim wants to make sure that Abby has the best Valentine's Day ever, so he plans an extra special surprise. Written for NFA Big Easy Challenge. Rated for mild language.
1. Scavenger Hunt

_Hi everyone! I've been working very hard on this story, so I wanted to share it with you all as soon as I was finished with it. Enjoy!_

**Note:** This year, Valentine's Day was on a Saturday, but for the purposes of this story, it took place on a Friday.

Chapter One: Scavenger Hunt

Tim set the box down on the middle of her keyboard; he knew she'd find it there. It was Valentine's Day, and he had promised Abby a fantastic present. He pulled a small bag of black and red heart shaped confetti out of his pocket and sprinkled it in a thin line leading from the box to the back of the ballistics lab. At the end of the trail, he left and envelope; Abby was going to love this!

-X-X-X-

Abby was not loving this. It was quickly becoming the worst Valentine's Day ever. First, her car broke down in the parking lot of her apartment building. She wasted fifteen minutes trying to call Tim to have him come get her. She called his cell over and over, leaving countless messages until she remembered that he had dropped his phone in the pond when he took her for a walk in the park two days ago and he had yet to get a new one. Then, the cab she called got stuck in traffic. She ended up walking to work that morning. To top it all off, she was wearing brand new platforms. By the time she made it to work, they were muddy and gross, and she had several blisters on her feet.

Abby sighed, leaning on the wall of the elevator on the short ride down to the lab. There was a loud _ding_ and the doors slid open. Abby groaned; she wasn't in the mood to walk again, even if it was only a few steps.

She forced herself to stand up straight and exit the elevator. "That's weird," she said to herself; the lights in the lab were already on.

Her mind was working slowly; she hadn't yet had her morning Caf-Pow, so it took her a while to make the connection from Friday to February fourteenth to Valentine's Day to…

"Timmy!" she dropped her lunchbox on the floor as she sleeping walked into the lab and saw the small ring box on her keyboard. "He wouldn't have gotten me a ring, would he?" Abby was very nervous.

She stepped over to the box, her hands shaking. She loved him, but she was still getting used to having a steady boyfriend (though they had been dating for two and a half years). She wasn't ready for a ring, was she? "No, he wouldn't," she decided, picking up the box and taking a deep breath, "He wouldn't leave something like that just sitting around when anyone could come in and take it."

She closed her eyes and opened the box. "Hey Abby, I've got some samples for you to run a toxicology on," heavy footsteps flopped into the room behind her.

Abby spun to face the intruder, eyes still closed. "Jimmy!" she yelped.

Jimmy jumped; he had not been expecting her to sound so surprised. "Are you alright?" he noticed that her eyes were tightly screwed shut.

Abby turned the open box around so it was facing him. "Jimmy, what's in this box?"

He was confused. "Um, a key," the way he said it made his response sound more like a question than an answer.

"Really?" Abby opened her eyes and peered down into the black velvet box.

There it was; a small brass key. Abby had not expected that. She felt relieved, and a little sad. She quickly rid herself of the feelings remembering that Jimmy was still in the room; she could contemplate her sadness later.

"What does it open?" she pondered aloud.

"Abby, can you sign for these?" Jimmy set the blood samples on the table and fidgeted nervously.

She signed the paper verifying chain of evidence, but she was focused on why Tim would give her a key; it was too small to be an apartment key, but it was too large to be a diary key. "What do you think Jimmy, is this supposed to be some cheesy Valentine's gift? Is it 'they key to his heart' or something equally dorky?"

"I don't know, but I have a feeling you'll find out if you follow that confetti," Jimmy pointed at the line of red and black hearts on the floor.

"Was that there a minute ago?" Jimmy nodded, "How did I not see that? Thanks Palmer!" she followed the trail back to the ballistics lab, leaving Jimmy standing alone.

"You're welcome," he muttered, exiting the lab to return to autopsy.

Abby made it to the end of the confetti line and dropped to her knees in front of a crisp, white envelope. Her name was on the front in perfect calligraphy. She eagerly tore it open and allowed her eyes to ravage the page. She grinned; it was a scavenger hunt!

_I'll bet you didn't expect this, didja?_

_Go see the girl who's skilled like a ninja._

It didn't matter that her feel hurt, she raced out of the lab and up the stairs, not willing to wait for the elevator. She regretted her impatience momentarily when she reached the top, but the feeling dissipated when she spotted the woman she needed to talk to. "Ziva!" Abby rushed over to her.

Ziva smirked. "Yes Abby?"

"Did Timmy gibe you something to give to me?" Abby sounded like a crack addict looking for her next fix; she needed this next clue.

Ziva was enjoying this. "He may have," she said cryptically.

Abby's eager face hardened. "Ziva," he voice took on a threatening tone, "Give me what Timmy gave you."

Ziva almost laughed, but a dangerous flash in Abby's eyes told that it would be a bad thing to do. She pulled an envelope out of a pocket in her cargo pants and a box out of a pocket on the other side. She was going to ask Abby for the magic word, but the impatient Goth snatched both items out of her hands before she could say another word.

Abby opened the box first. "Sunglasses?" she shrugged her shoulders and propped the gift on her head over her trademark pigtails before tearing open the envelope.

_I hope you're enjoying this clue hunt so far,_

_Go see the man who rebuilt his own car._

"Thanks Ziva!" Abby yelled over her shoulder as she stepped into the elevator. The wait to get down to autopsy was horribly long. Ducky glanced up from his most recent cadaver when Abby clunked into the room. "Oh, hello Abigail, do you have my toxicology report?" he looked surprised to see her so soon after he had sent Palmer to her lab.

"No way Duckman, they've still got a while," Abby tried to sound as though she had actually started the tests, "Is there anything you need to give me?" she rocked back and forth on her platforms.

"Oh, yes; it's over on my desk," he waved the recently unplugged Stryker saw he was holding in the vague direction of his desk.

Abby quickly rifled through the large piles of files and reports but found no little envelope with her name on it. "It's not here," Abby was disappointed.

Ducky stood up straight. "Well that's odd, I swear I just had it," he looked around the room, eyes lighting up when they fell upon his x-ray board, "Ah, here it is!" he said triumphantly.

He removed it and handed it to Abby. "That's yours as well," he indicated a very small pillow that was on an empty autopsy table, "You know, this remind me of a young count that lived in Scotland in 1592," Abby opened the envelope, not listening to a word, "He left clues for his sweetheart, but she couldn't read. Her father read them for her and mis-communicated one, leading her to a lake rather than the count's castle."

_Go see a man that you think is groovy,_

_And tell him to shut up if he quotes a movie._

"That's great, thanks Ducky!" Abby quickly exited the room.

"It most certainly is not great," the confused doctor turned back to the corpse on the autopsy table, "Turns out the poor girl thought she had to swim to her lover and she drowned. It's quite dreadful really."

Abby was getting really sick of having to go up and down between the floors. "I supposed it _is_ part of the fun," she reasoned, "I wonder where Timmy is…"

The elevator doors slid open and Abby bounded over to the bullpen. Tony was leaning over Ziva's shoulder examining something on her computer screen. "Tony!" Abby squealed.

"Hey Abs; it's on my desk," he didn't look up, "It's not very informative, though."

"Tony," Abby picked up the already open envelope, "You read my clue?"

He glanced up at her looking sheepish. "Yeah, sorry about that. If Probie didn't want me to read it, he shouldn't have given it to me," he tried to justify his action, "That sunscreen is for you too."

Abby rolled her eyes and put the bottle in the pocket of her lab coat. She extracted the paper from its useless casing. "I'll be mad at you later, Tony," Abby said as she read the note.

_I won't write a cute little rhyme for this one (he wouldn't like it…)_

_Go see Gibbs._

'Finally, I don't have to travel far for this one,' Abby thought as she turned around, only to find that Gibbs had already vacated his desk.

She wandered over to it and sighed. She was about to go back down to her lab to run Ducky's toxicology test, but a flash of white caught her eye. He had taped a piece of paper to the computer screen. It was labeled with her name in his untidy scrawl and there was an arrow pointing down to the floor. Abby leaned over the desk. "A suitcase; if Timmy's not taking me on a trip then none of these clues make any sense."

Ziva and Tony snickered at her and returned to their work. Abby walked behind the desk and inspected the suitcase. There was a small brass lock; they key now made sense. She slipped it into the lock and flipped the black lid back. It was empty except for another note.

_Go back to the lab._

Abby dragged the bulky gift back downstairs. She sighed when she reentered the lab; it felt like coming home after a busy day. She propped it against the wall and looked around. She didn't see anything that looked particularly Valentine-y. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw movement. The worn out scientist dragged herself to her back office.

Tim was sitting in her swivel chair staring at her computer. "Thank goodness Timmy," Abby sat down on his lap, "I'm sick of going up and down and up and down; I feel like a kangaroo."

He smiled. "Do you want the last part of your present?" he gently kissed her cheek.

"No Timmy, I don't want it," she said sarcastically, "I just spent a good chunk of my precious time racing around NCIS for no reason. Yes I want the damn present!" she was getting touchy without the excitement of a scavenger hunt to keep her occupied.

Tim chuckled and gave her another envelope. Abby's jaw dropped when she saw the contents even though she had an idea of what to expect; it was a plane ticket. "Timmy, this is the best present ever!"

"I'm glad you like it. Can you help me pack? I've never been to New Orleans."

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

Alright darlings, review! Let me know what you think.

_Also, for those that don't know, a Stryker Saw is an electric saw that is used to cut open the skull during an autopsy._

Kisses!


	2. New Orleans

Alright dears, here's the second part of this masterpiece. Enjoy!

Chapter Two: New Orleans

Tim shuffled off the plane in a stupor; he had tried to sleep during the flight but Abby kept him awake with a variety of games that he only played to keep her happy. He had worked diligently to make this the best vacation ever for her. She thought they would be staying in one of the hoity-toity hotels, but Tim had conspired with Abby's little brother Jacob and they were really going to be staying with him, his wife, and their daughter.

Jacob was waiting for them in baggage claim. "Jakey, what're you doing here?" she squealed when she saw him, jumping into his arms for a 'welcome back' hug.

He gave a hearty laugh. "Well, your man and I did a little sneaky planning. Surprise, you're staying with us!"

Abby turned her head to look at Tim without breaking the hug. "Did you really?"

Tim grinned sheepishly. "Yeah, I thought you'd like to be with family."

After several minutes, Abby finally let go of her brother. Tim shook his hand once it was Abby-free; they were finally ready to hit the road. They each grabbed their bags; Jacob insisted on carrying Abby's, and let the airport.

The car ride didn't take too long, but it was enough that Abby fell asleep in the backseat. Tim peeked at her to be sure she was asleep. "Thanks for letting us stay with you," he said gratefully to Jacob.

"No problem, it's nice to finally meet someone that Abby cares about," he smiled; Abby's visits to New Orleans were few and far between.

Tim wasn't sure how he would get on the subject he really wanted to talk about, so he kept to their polite conversation. He couldn't think of anything else to say, so he listened to Jacob talk about his wife and daughter, and how excited everyone was to meet him. Tim nervously stoked the small box in his pocket, but decided they could talk about it later.

Abby woke up the moment they stopped at Jacob's house. The look on her face was one that Tim had never seen before, like a mix of satisfaction and nostalgia. Jacob had purchased their childhood home after their parents had died.

Tim surveyed the area; several cars littered the street and most of the houses reminded him of the fifties. They were the kinds of houses with the white picket fence, occupied by John and Jane Smith, their two point five kids, and the family dog, Spot. It surprised him that _this_ was where Abby grew up; no wonder she liked to be different.

Suddenly, they were ambushed; all sorts of loving family members popped up out of nowhere. Tim met thirty people in about twenty minutes; aunts, uncles, and cousins galore. His mouth hurt from smiling. Jacob's wife, Vanessa, met them at the door. She hugged both Tim and Abby before leading them inside. The various family members followed them inside and grouped in the family room. Vanessa introduced them to their daughter, Jessica. The three year old hugged Abby and shook Tim's hand. "It's nice to meet you," she said shyly.

"Honey," Vanessa said, "Can you take Aunt Abby and her friend upstairs?"

Jessica smiled. "Sure Mommy," she grasped Abby by the hand and almost dragged her up to the guest bedroom.

"Jacob, can I talk to you alone for a minute?" Tim asked quietly; Abby turned around, "I'll be there in a minute Abs."

They stepped into Jacob's study and closed the door. "Is everything alright Tim? I didn't think you would mind sharing a room with my sister."

Tim shook his head. "It's not that. Well, I have to say, I'm a little nervous. Since your father has passed on, I thought that it should be you that I talk to. I, um, I'm going to ask Abby to marry me, and I'd like your family's blessing."

Jacob looked a little shocked. "I don't want to hurt your feelings or anything, but you do realize that this is Abby that you're talking about, right? Abby's never really been one for doing the 'normal' things in life."

Tim hardened. "With all due respect, I love her, and I know she loves me. I want to marry her, and I will still love her whether or not she wants to marry me too."

Jacob straightened up and looked him up and down slowly. "You care for her, that much is clear; after all, you did all this just to make her happy. On behalf of our family, I give you our blessing."

"Thank you," Tim shook Jacob's hand, "I think I'm going to ask her at dinner tonight."

"You know it's going to be a family dinner, right. She might not like it," Jacob seemed worried.

Tim took a deep breath. "I know, but I think it will be fine."

-X-X-X-

The family sat down to dinner in the roomy backyard. Tim was much more nervous than he had thought he would be. "Timmy, are you alright? You look a little nauseous," Abby looked concerned.

Tim took a long sip of water. "Yeah, I'm fine Abs. Spicy," he pointed at his food.

Abby giggled and rolled her eyes. "It's just chicken Timmy."

"Spicy chicken," he mumbled.

He waited patiently for the family to finish eating. Once Vanessa had passed out dessert, Tim stood. "Can I have everyone's attention please?"

They all listened intently, as if they had known him for more than just a few hours. He turned to Abby. She set her plate down on the table in front of her, smiling at her boyfriend, mind racing trying to figure out what the hell was going on.

Of course, she had an idea, but it was unlikely. 'If Tim was going to ask me to marry him, he would have done it back in D.C. He wouldn't have waited until we got all the way to New Orleans,' Abby thought.

"Abby, you know that I love you; you are the most amazing person I have ever met."

Her breaths came more quickly. 'Oh my God, is he really doing this? What do I do; what do I do? Ok, I need to relax and go with my first instinct,' she tried to calm down.

Tim got down on one knee and pulled a small box out of his pocket. "Abigail Sciuto, will you marry me?"

She was almost expecting the question, but that didn't make it any less shocking. 'First instinct,' she reminded herself. She quickly evaluated the situation. She loved Tim, and she was sure he was her soul mate. "Yes," she said softly.

Tim thought he had misheard her. "What Abs?"

She pulled him to his feet and kissed him. All around them, her family erupted into applause and cheers; they couldn't be happier for their beloved Abby. When she needed air, she broke off the kiss, hugging Tim and burying her face in his neck. "Yes Timmy, I will marry you," she whispered near his ear.

Tim was sure that he had a goofy grin on his face, but he didn't care; he was going to marry the girl of his dreams, and that was all that mattered.

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

Thanks for reading, I hope you liked it! If you did, check out some of my other stories; I'm sure you'll like them too! Be sure to leave me a review.

Kisses!


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